Christian groups carrying out conversions in state: Munde
Christian groups carrying out conversions in state: Munde
Author: Dilip Chaware
Publication: The Times
of India
Date: May 15, 2000
Former deputy chief Minister
Gopinath Munde has alleged that conversions were systematically being carried
out by Christian organisations in Maharashtra. He has demanded a high-level
police investigation into the funding of these bodies.
BJP all-India general
secretary Venkaiah Naidu has found a link between installation of Sonia
Gandhi as Congress president and an anti-India disinformation campaign
in foreign countries, where incidents of attacks against minorities were
being highlighted.
Addressing a press conference
here, Mr Munde said he visited Abhona in the tribal taluka of Kalwan in
Nashik district on Friday in the wake of a reported attack on a Christian
girls' hostel in the village recently.
He said the Abhona incident
was a clash between two groups and not an attack on Christians as portrayed
by the media.
Mr Munde said that the
building where the clash occurred was illegal. Secondly, the power used
by the building was stolen and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board
had lodged a police complaint against the theft. Finally, the screening
of a film on Jesus Christ was without police permission. He added that
the gram panchayat had been demanding action against the illegal construction,
but nothing had been done by the government.
He noted that the police
FIR did not mention either the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or the Bajrang Dal.
The youths arrested in connection with the clash did not belong to any
political party. When he visited the village, representatives of the Congress,
the Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena, among others, were present,
while he talked to the villagers.
Mr Munde said there was
an urgent need for a high-level probe into conversion activities in Maharashtra,
specially with regard to the funding of the organisations concerned. Replying
to a question, he said that if a Hindu organisation tried forcible conversions,
he would oppose such a move.
Mr Naidu, who is here
for the state convention of his party, said that a systematic disinformation
campaign was being conducted by vested interests against the Vajpayee government.
An impression was sought to be created that minorities were under attack
in the country. The Dalits were sought to be instigated by telling them
that the BJP was trying to rewrite the Constitution written by B.R. Ambedkar.
Similarly, the poor and the farming community were told that the Vajpayee
government had increased prices of essential items and fertilisers. He
asked BJP workers to counter this campaign.
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